How to Structure a Research Paper? Your Ultimate Guide

Writing a research paper is a skill that every student should master as quickly as possible. You are sure to come across many academic tasks like this when studying at college or university. However, a vital pre-writing skill that may determine your success is structuring a research paper properly.

How is research paper structured? What main points should the structure of a paper include? We’ve answered all these questions in this guide, adding a template and an illustrative example for your self-education. Read on to learn everything you need to know about research structure.

Why Bother with Research Paper Structure?

At first, you might think that structuring a research paper is not that significant – you have a central idea and several arguments that support it. What else is needed to compose a worthy academic piece?

Yet, things are not that simple, and research paper structure plays a vital role in the process of composing your academic task. In fact, a well-thought-out structure of research paper can speed up and simplify your work on the project. By having a clear roadmap in the form of a research structure, you will identify the needed academic sources easily and will compose all parts using the pre-made structure of a research paper instead of doing guesswork.

This way, knowing how to structure research paper projects is a valuable skill for any learner. Do you want to learn more about how to structure a research paper? Read on to master the fundamentals of structuring a research paper like a pro.

Your Guide to the Right Research Paper Structure

So, what should research paper include? Here is a generic research paper structure example that you may use in the majority of academic assignments by tweaking it a bit to your professor’s requirements. Here are the main elements of the research structure you may need for your project.

Title and abstract. It’s the name of your project, which should be informative and attention-grabbing, and a brief summary of all main points, from research purpose to findings.
Introduction. This is a broad background for your study that sets the context and explains why your inquiry is significant.
Literature review. This is a summary of prior research findings on your topic and related subjects, which sets the ground for your methodology and research perspective.
Methodology. Here, you should explain how you plan to examine the subject of interest – with statistics, interviews, surveys, or by means of analyzing secondary data available online. Stipulate the type of your research and provide details about the methods.
Results. Report the findings obtained by applying your methodological design.
Discussion. Analyze whether your findings support, contradict, or expand the previous studies on this topic.
Conclusion. Summarize the key findings worth the audience’s attention in this part of the research paper structure.
References. Name all sources from which you have taken data and facts to support your inquiry.
Appendices. Place your visuals, statistical analyses, and illustrations here.

With these components in mind, you will never be confused about how to structure a research paper.

Ready-to-Use Research Paper Structure Example

How should a research paper be structured? You may still have questions after looking at the generic template, which is understandable. Here is a handy sample that illustrates all sections of a research paper we’ve discussed in the previous section.

Title and abstract. Importance of mental health services for college students. Abstract with the research question, methods, and your key findings (250 words max.)
Introduction. Talk about mental health problems students may have because of chronic stress and overload.
Literature review. Cite studies about student mental health and the ability of counseling and therapy resources on campus to address mental health problems.
Methodology. State whether your study will be qualitative or quantitative, name data collection and analysis procedures.
Results. Report what you have found during the study.
Discussion. Compare your findings with prior research on the subject.
Conclusion. Draw major inferences from your research.
References. Cite all external sources you’ve used in the study in alphabetic order.
Appendices. Include this part in your research paper structure if you have visuals like tables and figures.

Use these guidelines to arrive at a great structure of research paper that can really help you speed up the writing process. By following these points and including these sections of a research paper in your outline, you are sure to complete the assignment in line with what your professor wants to see.

How to Structure a Research Paper? Universal Tips

We’ve also prepared several professional recommendations on how to structure a research paper. Try them out to see which one helps you the best.

Don’t start to work on your research paper structure until you have a clear idea in mind. It may be a waste of time with several rounds of rework if you approach the task without understanding it properly.
Keep your research paper structure simple. No need to overcomplicate things, especially if your project is a regular college task.
Focus on your contribution. Instead of emphasizing the details, proceed from the general to the concrete at this stage. You need to capture the main idea of the paper first and then develop the nuances.
Make sure your terminology and concepts are clear to laypersons. Always take into account that your audience may not be as knowledgeable about your subject as you are.
Be objective in reporting your findings and their limitations. Don’t be scared to acknowledge that your research has some data gaps and requires further investigation.

Research Paper Structure Is Not Always Easy

If structuring a research paper still looks like a puzzle to you after reading our end-to-end guide, it’s probably time to consider our professional research paper writing service. Don’t let the problems with the research structure slow down your homework processes. Contact our pros today and get a well-written structure of a research paper that is totally in line with your prompt. Our experts know the craft of research paper structuring and writing inside out, so they are always ready to deliver winning solutions for your A+ papers.